Celebrating another barbet birth

The recent nesting of the Gold-whiskered Barbet in a partially dead tree that stood by a well-used path with hikers constantly using this path as a short-cut along their main trail is another testimony to what I have observed before that the series of movement control orders did bring birds out to nest more openly.  This pair must have scouted for this location sometime in March/April, this period made even quieter due to the fasting month in April with even less hikers and bikers around.

When I knew about the lovely Gold-whiskered Barbets and their young, the parents were still feeding inside the cavity nest.  And the chick's constant calls were loud suggesting a healthy one, and the parents relaxed as they flew in, lingered, went straight to the hole to feed, then lingered just off the nest entrance, awaiting the other.  It was almost always a quick succession of feeding as the parent flew in one after the other, with one taking off when the other arrived.

The small fig fruits, whether still green or black as in ripe I guessed, seemed to be the dominant food although I only managed to capture a large praying mantis prey the entire three hour duration I was there.

Looking relaxed.

I wanted to get an image of the parent poking its head out and was rewarded when it did so only once when I was there, getting into the hole and I thought would emerge with fecal discard.  However there was a noticeable absence of fecal discard during this lengthy three hour period.

And in comparison to its young (which I managed to only see five days later.)

And then finally I managed to sight the parent feeding the young at the nest entrance on the same day, following which I learnt that it fledged a couple of days later.

Many a times holding the fig away trying to lure the young out.

Looks that could melt the heart.